Parts of the BodyVictorian Aboriginal Languages Levels 7-10

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................2

Establishing the Learning Environment....................................................................................................3

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Victorian Aboriginal Languages.......................................................4Victorian Aboriginal Languages Sample Units..............................................................................................4

Assessment.................................................................................................................................................. 5

Teaching, Learning and Assessment Activities..........................................................................................6Topic 1: Human Bodies....................................................................................................................................... 6

Topic 2: Animal Bodies....................................................................................................................................... 8

Topic 3: Extension of meaning and body part words................................................................................................10

Topic 4: Aboriginal Counting Systems Using Parts of the Body...................................................................................12

Unit Resources....................................................................................................................................14Websites....................................................................................................................................................... 14

Teacher resources........................................................................................................................................... 14

Student resources............................................................................................................................................ 14

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p1

Introduction

Parts of the Body looks at human body parts, animal body parts, the contribution of body part words to naming and meaning extension, and Aboriginal counting systems that use body parts for enumeration. Students are introduced to new Language through studying these aspects of Aboriginal Languages.

Communities will have their own orthography for their Language, and this should be used in the Language program. Reclamation Languages will be at different stages of revival and the availability of particular words will vary from Language to Language. The activities below are suggestions only. Teachers should choose those activities that are suitable for their students.

The topics are:

Topic 1: Human Bodies Topic 2: Animal Bodies Topic 3: Extension of Meaning and Body Part Words Topic 4: Aboriginal Counting Systems Using Parts of the Body

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p2

Appropriate consultations with relevant Aboriginal communities are always central to the development of curricula and the provision of learning programs in schools. Victorian government schools are required to act in accordance with the Koorie Cross-Curricular Protocols for Victorian Government Schools. The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc (VAEAI) has produced a guide, Protocols for Koorie Education in Victorian Primary and Secondary Schools, to assist schools to provide a welcoming environment for Aboriginal community members and how to work respectfully with the Koorie community to enrich schools' teaching and learning programs.

For assistance in identifying the appropriate people to consult, please contact VAEAI. Government schools can also seek assistance from the Department of Education and Training’s Koorie Education Workforce, and Catholic schools can contact the Education Officer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in their relevant diocese. The Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL) can also provide assistance.

Establishing the Learning Environment The Language being reclaimed, rather than English, should be used wherever and whenever possible. A Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country, whichever is appropriate, should be made at the

beginning of class. Cards/posters with Language words can be put around the room, with an appropriate picture/drawing.

Laminated cards, both small and large, can be utilised in many activities. Free teaching resources can be borrowed from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre

(LMERC). Pictures could be sourced from the Koori Mail or similar Aboriginal publications. Victorian Aboriginal Language materials can be obtained by contacting the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for

Languages, or by going to www.vaclang.org.au. Parents and community members should be encouraged to participate in the lesson, and students could take

their portfolio of work home to share with others, to aid the reclamation process in the community. Each student could take home a sheet of paper with the new words from each lesson to share. Alternatively, a

sound file containing the new words could be emailed to parents and community members, or given to each student on an MP3 player/recorder to take home.

Sharing information and resources with other schools teaching the same Language is encouraged. In cases where this involves a primary school and a secondary school, a mentoring program could be undertaken.

Information about Victorian Aboriginal Languages in school programs can be found on the Aboriginal Languages, Cultures and Reclamation in Schools website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural events should be celebrated throughout the year. It would be valuable for the entire school to be involved in these celebrations.

It is suggested that the Language team liaise with any teacher involved in these areas of study when delivering this unit, to ensure a whole school approach.

Information for Language Teams

It is important to understand and be sensitive to the fact that Victorian Aboriginal Languages are revival Languages. This means that, initially at least, there may be gaps in the Language that prevent students and teachers from utilising standard languages methodology. For example, in a Language classroom, students are routinely taught how to say I like or I don’t like in the language they are studying, but, in all probability, this will not be possible in most Victorian Aboriginal Languages, particularly those in the early stages of reclamation. This may be due to the amount of Language that was retained in the community and/or recorded in the old sources, or it may be that this was not a concept adopted by Aboriginal people in the days of colonisation. This is not to say that the concept cannot be expressed. It may be that a construction like that is good or that is not good will be used to convey the same message.

However, it is critical that Language team members and school staff ask the local Aboriginal community to provide a suitable construction via the accepted protocols. An early discussion on this topic is recommended, inclusive of some realistic examples that are likely to be needed in the classroom.

An agreement about the most appropriate source dictionary or wordlist to use is essential to a full understanding of the range and variety of Language already documented. Any words or constructions required for the purpose of teaching in the reclamation classroom must come from the local Aboriginal Community.

Language reclamation is an important endeavour, and all concerned, including teachers, school principals and other education community partners, need to respect the agreed protocols and conventions at all times. The recommended channel for seeking information about Language is through the Aboriginal community members on the school’s Language team. They will have been chosen by the community as their representatives and, as such, should be able to ascertain whether or not there is a Language construction sanctioned by the community; or, should the community decide that there is a need to develop such a construction, they will work with the community to develop it.

Should any member of the teaching team or education community fail to respect the agreed protocols, it could have an impact on the program ranging from a reminder that protocols have not been followed to cessation of the program. For information on the protocols relating to the establishment and implementation of Aboriginal Language programs, please see the ‘Getting Started’ section on the ALCV website.

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Victorian Aboriginal Languages

For an explanation of the new Victorian Curriculum and the terminology used therein, see the Victorian Curriculum

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p3

Overview.

The achievement standards for Victorian Aboriginal Languages describe what students should be able to understand and do by the end of Level 10. The content descriptions for Victorian Aboriginal Languages explain what has to be taught to the students between Levels 7-10.

Each achievement standard relates to at least one content description, for example, the achievement standard

students use the language to initiate, sustain and extend interactions, and to exchange information about interests, experiences and aspirations

(what they must be able to do) relates to the content description

engage with peers, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community members to exchange information about interests, experiences, plans and aspirations (ACLFWC174)

(what you need to teach the students to do).

The Curriculum Mapping Template has been designed to support language teams to identify, and keep track of, the content descriptions and achievement standards addressed by the content of your lessons. It is recommended that you read the Curriculum Mapping Instructions provided on the site.

Victorian Aboriginal Languages Sample UnitsThere is no set order for the sample units on this website. Schools should order the units to suit their needs, students and other school programs.

Each sample unit presents a wide range of possible topics and activities that teachers may use in short or extended learning programs, depending on the age and interests of the students and language availability for particular topics.

Community language and cultural input is an assumed aspect of the development of each topic. It is expected that students will have opportunities for community input into their study of the topic of between 40 – 60 minutes across the unit. This will vary depending on the time allocated to each topic.

Each unit includes language development and revision exercises. Language activities may be distributed throughout the course of the unit. Each unit has been designed to involve 40 – 60 minutes of teaching and learning associated with language reinforcement and the acquisition of new language, including grammar, vocabulary and language specifically related to the topic.

Each topic involves a cultural investigation. There are many opportunities for student to engage with culture, language and the community through the investigations. Students may undertake some or all of the activities presented in the topic. Students use appropriate extended language to describe their findings, with emphasis on the development of extended text production (oral or written) in the language. Each unit has been designed to involve cultural investigation of between 30 – 120 minutes, depending on the age and level of language learning of the students.

Each topic provides activities that encourage students to apply their understanding of language, knowledge, culture and identity. Activities may be chosen as class activities or students may be encouraged to pursue their own interests from the range of activities provided. It is expected that students create a product or performance that can be shared with others and the community and demonstrate the use of language to describe their product or performance. Each activity has been designed to take 50- 60 minutes, but this will vary depending on the complexity of the activity and the extent of student engagement. Activities are generally linked to one or more aspects of the cultural investigation.

AssessmentBefore beginning an activity, assess the existing level of students’ knowledge. A range of strategies can be used for assessment, for example, if you greet the students in Language, the responses may range from familiarity with the greeting to no understanding at all. Alternatively, you could examine previous assessments.

Each unit includes activities that can be adapted for a range of student abilities. For example, with new students Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p4

modelling would be appropriate; but for students with an existing knowledge, it may be more appropriate to ask them to lead the activity or to support beginners.

Each unit includes both language and culture. The language activities can be modified to cater for different student abilities. It is also possible to extend the cultural activities.

Additional information is provided on the Victorian Curriculum Overview page. The achievement standards for Victorian Aboriginal Languages can be found on the Victorian Curriculum website.

When assessing student achievement, assessment criteria can be developed from relevant achievement standards and associated tasks or activities, including teacher observations and records of students’ skills. Possible assessment methods are given in the last row of each topic.

Further information on these can be found in the Revised curriculum planning and reporting guidelines.

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p5

Teaching, Learning and Assessment ActivitiesNote: This unit has been developed specifically for students learning an Aboriginal Language, and should be taught in line with the protocols in the Victorian Curriculum F-10– Victorian Aboriginal Languages and the Koorie Cross-Curricular Protocols for Victorian Government Schools

Parts of the Body Levels 7-10

Topic 1: Human BodiesOverview Suggested Student

ActivitiesInsert words and grammar in

target LanguageComments/resources for the Language Team and

Aboriginal TeacherGreetings Greet the students in

Language Students return the

teacher’s greeting Students greet any

guests in Language Students greet each

other in Language

Greeting: Use this greeting activity at the beginning of every session and elsewhere if possible.

Farewells Farewell the students in Language

Students return the teacher’s farewell

Students greet any guests in Language

Students greet each other in Language

Farewell: Use this farewell activity at the end of each session and elsewhere if possible.

Revision Ask students to call out all the words and/or sentences they can remember from an earlier topic. Write them on the board as they call them out.

Introduce new words for parts of the body as well as instructional word/s and practise these orally

Use an image of a person to introduce human body parts in Language and students repeat the words in Language.

Record words for body parts in student’s personal wordlist. Also add them to the class wordlist.

Total Physical Response (TPR). Teacher calls out actions in Language only and students respond with the appropriate action.

Head:Shoulders:Knees:Toes:Eyes:Ears:Mouth:Nose:Face:Lips:Chin:

Here: (close by), (a little further)There:This:

Come! :Sit!:

When saying ‘Here is my head’, etc. many Languages simply put the two words here and head side by side, eg gimba burrp, or they use the possessive suffix –ek ‘my’ on the head, eg, gimba burrp-ek ‘Here is my head.’

Total Physical Response

Choose the instructional words

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p6

Speak!)Say (something)/tell (someone)!Throw!:To shake:

I ran:I will run:I run:I am running:I was running:I will be running:

appropriate for your class.

Language use Download the Magic Crayons song Here’s my head. Translate this activity into Language and practice in class. Alternatively, translate Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, or create a relevant rap song

Students create a body parts game with Gamemaker and play each other’s games

Students use flash cards to revise Here’s My Head or Heads and Shoulders in Language, then sing the song in Language with actions. Video the class performance for revision purposes and/or to show others

Gamemaker

Language names Many of the Aboriginal Language names in Victoria relate to body parts, eg, wurrung or wurru means ‘mouth’ or ‘lips’ in most Kulin Languages, and djali, dyaling or dyalang means ‘tongue’. Many others are named after their word for ‘no’, eg, Wemba Wemba, Wergaia, Yorta Yorta. Students research the meaning of local Language names and record these, along with their meanings, in their wordlist.

See VACL map for Victorian Language names

Assessment: observation, quizzes, role-play, contribution to class discussions, written work, oral Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p7

presentation, display of artwork (delete those not applicable)

Topic 2: Animal BodiesOverview Suggested Student

ActivitiesInsert words and grammar in target

Language

Comments/resources for the Language Team and

Aboriginal TeacherGreeting routine See Topic 1

Farewell routine See Topic 1

Revision and new words Revise words learned earlier by viewing the suggested video in Topic 1 or through games.

Introduce/revise animal words with flashcards.

People and animals Discuss the relationship between human and animal body parts, eg in some Aboriginal Languages animals are seen as having arms and legs, rather than four legs.

Students research how many human body part words in the target Language are used for animal body parts, eg, compare nose and beak, wing and arm. Why does this occur?

Discuss the similarity of behaviours in animals and humans, e.g. caring for their young, finding shelter from the heat.

Students research the uses Aboriginal people make of animal products, eg, using possum skins for cloaks, using kidney fat.

Female:Baby:Tail:Body/flesh:Feather:Arm:Nail or claw:Fingernail:Toenail:

Note that the words for wing and arm are often the same, as are wing and shoulder blade, and claw and fingernail

In some Languages, the word for ‘tail’ has a second meaning that may be best avoided in the classroom.

Most Aboriginal Languages have a causative suffix (ending) that creates new, related words. Eg, ‘good’ is dalk. Add the causative ending –una and you get dalguna, which means ‘to cure’, literally cause to be good. This could be useful for creating new words, eg, dyaka ‘to eat’ and dyakuna ‘to feed’, literally cause to eat.

.

Animal body parts Using a dictionary or the wordlist, search for animal names that relate to salient body parts, eg, gurnwil ‘black snake’ is literally ‘neck-having’. ‘Echidna’ is another example of this kind of meaning extension, which

To hear:To listen: aTo catch or grab:To catch in a net:To hit:To hit with a weapon or axe:To hit or jog:To hit or knock into:

The words for mother and father are often used for female and male animals

Where English differentiates between ‘seeing’ and ‘looking’, this might be indicated

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p8

utilises the ‘having’ suffix.

Sometimes an animal or bird’s name can assist in identifying which variety it is, eg, the large, white-chested cormorant is called derri-dyang mert-merrel. Mert-merrel is the name of the large black cormorant, and derri-dyang is literally ‘white-chest’. Students search for similar names that differentiate between varieties of one species of animal or bird in the target Language.

Consider how different animals catch their prey, particularly wild animals in the local area. Discuss movements using arms and legs, and learn appropriate verbs, such as ‘to run’, ‘to swim’, ‘to scratch’, using TPR.

Using their wordlist and other resources, students create sentences using body parts, animal words and verbs, reinforcing the use of appropriate suffixes, such as the ergative/instrumental marker and tense.

To scratch:To fly, rise up in flight:

in an Aboriginal Language by the use of suffixes, eg, one word for ‘to hear’ in some languages is nyerna- and ‘to listen’ is nyernila, literally ‘to hear’ plus the continuative suffix –ila, ie, ‘to hear continuously’.

The ergative case marker is used as an ending on nouns that are the subject (the person doing the action) of an action that affects someone or something else. If we compare the following two examples:

(1) The snake bit the boy.(2) The snake was

sleeping.the ergative marker would be used on the ‘snake’ in (1) because the boy was affected by the biting, but not on ‘snake’ in (2) as the action of sleeping does not affect anyone or anything else (other than the snake itself!).

The instrumental case marker goes on the tool or instrument used to carry out the action of the verb, e.g.:

(3) The boy killed the snake with a stick.In (3) the instrumental marker would go on ‘stick’ because that is what was used to do the killing and the ergative marker would go on ‘boy’ as the subject (the person doing) of the action killed.

Recording new words Insert new words found in the above tasks into personal word list and class wordlist.

Assessment: observation, quizzes, role-play, contribution to class discussions, written work, oral presentation, display of

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p9

artwork (delete those not applicable)

Topic 3: Extension of meaning and body part words Overview Suggested Student

ActivitiesInsert words and grammar in target

Language

Comments/resources for the Language Team and Aboriginal Teacher

Greeting routine See Topic 1.

Farewell routine See Topic 1.Revision and new words Use TPR to revise body

part words, play games created earlier or watch videos of class activities.

Add new words to individual and class wordlists.

Write the names of new body parts on the skeleton diagram.

Teacher or a student points to a body part and asks What is this? In Language. Others reply in Language.

Like animals, birds can be named after salient body parts also. Students find bird names that incorporate salient body parts.

Brain:Stomach:Kidney:Fat:Liver:Heart:Bottom/backside:Back:Beard/whiskers:Blood:Bone:Metacarpal (hand) bone:Metatarsal (foot) bone:Cheek:Chest:What:

Language use A student interviews other students, asking in Language ‘What is the matter with you?’ Each student replies in Language with an appropriate gesture ‘My [body part] hurts’, each using a different body part. Students record correct responses.

Using Cartoon Storymaker, students create cartoons in Language based on the interviews.

What is the matter with you?:

My head hurts:My back hurts:

Meaning extension Discuss how English extends the meaning of body part words to create new words that are analogous to the body

Find some examples. Eg, Search for the word for ‘head’.Check each of the entries containing the

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p10

part, e.g. head of a school, foot of the mountain, leg of a table, right hand man, eye of a storm, mouth or arm of a river, etc. This is called meaning extension, and it is a way to create new words.

Search Language wordlists or documents to find examples of meaning extension relating to body parts in the target Language, eg, head and hill might be the same. This process is often used in Language reclamation, e.g. in the SA Language Kaurna, ‘computer’ is mukamuka karndo, where mukamuka means ‘brain’ and karndo means ‘thunder and lightning’ or ‘electricity’. Hence mukamuka karndo is literally ‘lightning brain’1.

word for ‘head’. You might find words that are combinations of ‘head’ and ‘tooth’, with the translation ‘front tooth’.

Assessment: observation, quizzes, role-play, contribution to class discussions, written work, oral presentation, display of artwork (delete those not applicable)

Topic 4: Aboriginal Counting Systems Using Parts of the BodyOverview Suggested Student

ActivitiesInsert words and grammar

in target LanguageComments/resources for the Language Team and

Aboriginal TeacherGreeting routine See Topic 1

Farewell routine See Topic 1

Revision and new words Revise vocabulary with games such as Concentration, Bingo etc.

Students add new words to their skeleton diagram.

Foot:Hand:Arm:Leg:Thigh:Calf of Leg:Thumb:Finger:Fingernail:

Language use Students create a simple crossword in Language.

Record new words in

Hello:I am well:I am not well:I am sick:Yes:

1 Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia (1996). Australia’s Indigenous Languages p131. SSABSA: Wayville, SAParts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p11

online wordlist and class wordlist.

Students extend their Gamemaker games using the new words.

Students practice a simple exchange such as Are you well? Yes I am. No I’m not, etc.

No:

Research Aboriginal counting systems that use parts of the body

Students research Aboriginal counting systems that use parts of the body and create a presentation on what they have learnt, comparing different Aboriginal body part counting systems.

Students practise body part counting in the target Language.

Make a short video about body part counting and use for revision.

Research where else in the world body part counting is found.

Victorian Body Part Counting System s For other Victorian systems, search Wurundjeri, Gunditjmara

Assessment: observation, quizzes, role-play, contribution to class discussions, written work, oral presentation, display of artwork (delete those not applicable)

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p12

Unit Resources

WebsitesAt the time of publication the URLs (website addresses) cited were checked for accuracy and appropriateness of content. However, due to the transient nature of material placed on the Internet, their continuing accuracy cannot be verified. Teachers are strongly advised to prepare their own indexes of sites that are suitable and applicable to this unit of work, and to check these addresses prior to allowing student access.

For information on the Department of Education and Training’s Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) follow this link.

Teacher resourcesA comprehensive list of teacher resources is available under the resources tab on the Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Victoria website. This site provides links to other states’ Language programs, and to a wide range of resources.

Victorian Curriculum F-10 – Victorian Aboriginal Languages

Victorian Aboriginal Languages Resources

Student resourcesA comprehensive list of student resources is available under the resources tab on the Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Victoria website. This site provides links to other states’ Language programs, and to a wide range of resources.

Parts of the Body – Victorian Curriculum: Victorian Aboriginal Languages – Levels 7-10 Sample Unit © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2016 p13